Microsoft after India: China bats away another cyber-attack claim with no specific counter

A day after Microsoft said a sophisticated group of hackers linked to China has hacked into its popular email service that allowed them to gain access to computers, Beijing has responded. Reiterating that China "firmly opposes and combats cyber attacks and cyber theft" in all forms, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said "it is also a highly sensitive political issue to pin the label of cyber attack to a certain government."

'... adopt a professional & responsible attitude'

"China firmly opposes and combats cyber attacks and cyber theft in all forms. This position is consistent and clear. China has reiterated on multiple occasions that given the virtual nature of cyberspace and the fact that there are all kinds of online actors who are difficult to trace, tracing the source of cyberattacks is a complex technical issue," Wenbin said during a press conference.

"It is also a highly sensitive political issue to pin the label of cyber attack to a certain government. We hope that relevant media and company will adopt a professional and responsible attitude and underscore the importance to have enough evidence when identifying cyber-related incidents, rather than make groundless accusations," he added.

'Indian side has openly denied the relevant report'

When asked about the report by a US-based cybersecurity company alleging that a Chinese state-sponsored hacking group has been targeting Indian ports and power plants since the middle of 2020 when the border conflict between China and India broke out, the Chinese Spokesperson said, "I answered relevant questions recently. I noticed that the Indian side has openly denied the relevant report. It is irresponsible and ill-intentioned to make unsubstantiated accusations against a specific party. We urge relevant sides to respect facts, and stop stirring up trouble and sowing discord."

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In a blog post on Tuesday, Microsoft said that four vulnerabilities in its software allowed hackers to access servers for Microsoft Exchange, "which enabled access to email accounts, and allowed the installation of additional malware to facilitate long-term access to victim environments," reported CNN.

The firm further said the online platform for Exchange was not affected in the cyberattack. Meanwhile, Microsoft (MSFT) is now urging users to download software patches, or fixes, for the four different vulnerabilities that were found. The company also said it believes the attacks were carried out by Hafnium, "a group assessed to be state-sponsored and operating out of China."

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